When someone is operating a motor vehicle, they need to be in complete control at all times. They shouldn't be talking on the phone, eating food or texting. The same should go for pet owners who drive every day with their pets in their laps. It is just as dangerous and can cause serious harm to others.
Several states in the US are proposing banning pets in the laps of drivers, including Tennessee and Oregon.
In California in 2008, then Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a law that would have fined motorists $35 for sharing the driver’s seat with lapdogs or other animals. Although it is not a crime, it is not something that the California Highway Patrol thinks very highly of.
According to Jaime Coffee, a spokesperson for the CHP: “There is not a specific vehicle code section that address this issue; however, if the pet is interfering in such a way that you're weaving or operating the vehicle in an unsafe manner, an officer can cite you for 22350 VC Basic Speed Law: ‘No person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property,’ ” (lagunaniguel.patch.com).
During the month of April, the CHP is going to crack down on the drivers who are not being attentive to the road they are driving on. So make sure you keep your pet in the back seat buckled up like a child or in their cage. Any sudden movement could happen and the results could be catastrophic.
We're always about pet safety at the Bregman Vet Hospitals. Call us if you have any concerns!
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